Even doctors get it wrong sometimes. For 14 years Bernadette Howarth of Leeds believed the illness that limited her life so much was M.E., also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. That’s what the doctor told her. Turns out it was wrong. Bernadette actually has a form of arthritis caused by a problem with the immune system. She has a daily diet of Immune Suppressants and painkillers. But she’s always wanted to work.

“I’d meet someone new and they’d say ‘What do you do?’” she explains. “I’d be left like a goldfish, not having an answer”. It wasn’t just the vagaries of her illness that made employment so difficult. Bernadette’s son, Joshua, now 18, has epilepsy with a tendency towards night-time attacks. “Sometimes I’d be up all night with him” she remembers. On top of that, her Mum has Vascular Dementia, Bernadette became the primary carer.

As an Incapacity Benefit claimant Bernadette is allowed to do up to 16 hours work a week while remaining on benefits. She uses the Hours Limiter in Slivers to make sure that’s never exceeded. And, finally, she’s been able to enter the workforce. Now, Bernadette, [Bookings: 9, Hours sold: 95, Buyers: 2] finds Slivers works for her. “If life gives you lemons, you’ve just got to make Lemonade”.

Talk to anyone in the public sector and eventually you’ll hear the phrase “Best Practice”. It means the ideal way of delivering a service, usually established after research into different methods across the country. But Best Practice, gives you the highlights of what you’ve got, not what’s coming over the horizon.

So, now there’s a new buzz phrase: “Next Practice”. It’s a programme co-ordinated through the Cabinet Office Innovation Exchange. Their aim is to find the best innovations in the Social Enterprise world and make sure they’re connected to the parts of government that can make them happen. The first clutch of Next Practice projects has just been announced and they include Slivers.

John Craig, Director of the Innovation Exchange sees Slivers aligning with his priority to support Independent Living. “People who have medical conditions or other constraints need to be able to book the care they need with total flexibility. But those people are often also in need of very fluid working themselves.” He says. “We see Slivers potentially empowering a lot of people around the country in a new way”.

Ali: Boxed in